What to do with leftover tsoureki

What to do with left over Greek Easter bread, tsoureki! It can be used in some creative and delicious ways


There are a few things about Orthodox Easter and Greek families that are pretty standard fare. Daily church services (sometimes more than one a day), beautiful red dyed Easter eggs, and other creative designs, and lamb to help break the fast of Great Lent. Holy Thursday for us is usually the day when we try to finish up all of our last minute baking – Pascha is not Pascha without koulourakia, amygdalota and galatopita. It’s also not Pascha without the sweet smell of tsourekia baking. In this post you will discover what to do with your leftover tsoureki.

Tsoureki (Τσουρέκι)

Tsoureki is a traditional Greek Easter bread and there are many variations. We include mastiha and mahlepi in our recipe; these are both very unique and special ingredients that give our tsourekia a traditional and incredible flavour and aroma. Others flavour their tsourekia with orange or cardamom, and lately we have seen bakeries coat their tsourekia with chocolate – not traditional, but we bet pretty delicious! If you are looking for a pretty fail proof tsoureki recipe with gives you an aromatic bread that is soft and fluffy, you can find our tsoureki recipe here.

Most Greek families will bake tsourekia in the days leading up to Easter. Those who don’t will usually purchase them from a Greek bakery. It is not unusual to bring tsoureki to guests when visiting them during this holiday period or to tuck one into an Easter basket for a godchild. What often results is that you find yourself on Easter Monday with many loaves of sweet bread. Although they freeze really well, and are delicious just as they are, sometimes it’s fun to get a little creative.


Delicious recipes using tsoureki

Tsoureki Paximadia or Tsoureki Biscotti

Greek biscotti, or paximadia, made with tsoureki bread and dipped in chocolate and sprinkles

This is a great way to preserve your leftover tsoureki without freezing them. Sliced thinly and baked in the oven, these dried out pieces of paximadia are perfect for munching and dipping into coffee. You can even dip them partially into some chocolate as we did if you want your paximadia to have an extra bit of sweetness. You can find our recipe here.

Tsoureki French Toast

Tsoureki french toast

A classic! Everyone loves French toast, and anyone who has tried making this breakfast favourite with leftover tsoureki loves it! A super simple way to make the first meal of the day something worth getting up for! We love to top our tsoureki French toast with fresh strawberries and pure Quebec maple syrup. How do you like to dress yours up? You can find our recipe here.

Banana and chocolate tsoureki French toast

Banana and chocolate tsoureki french toast

This is a twist to our classic tsoureki French toast, and it is decadent! The combination of chocolate and banana is always a winner (have you tried our chocolate chip banana bread ?). In this recipe we use a chocolate hazelnut spread and sliced bananas to make a sandwich that we then turn into French toast. Like honestly, every day should start this way! You can find our recipe here.

Tsoureki and feta grilled cheese

Tsoureki and feta grilled cheese

Our trademark recipe!! We still can’t believe how viral this recipe has gone, and we are so proud to have created it!! Guys, if you have not yet made our tsoureki and feta grilled cheese…what are you waiting for?! If you are wondering what to make with leftover tsoureki, and only have a little bit to experiment with, make this recipe. The combination of sweet, salty, soft and crunchy is unbelievable. We always keep one of our tsourekia aside to make tsoureki and feta grilled cheese – we can’t wait! Find our recipe here.

Tsoureki bread pudding

Tsoureki bread pudding

This is a lovely recipe that makes a bread pudding that is unique and delicious. Serve it for brunch, for lunch or even for dessert. Everyone loves a bread pudding and this one is loaded with the flavours of the tsoureki and is topped with a rich sauce that has a special little kick to it! Find our recipe here.

Tsoureki inspired shortbread

Tsoureki inspired shortbread

This recipe is actually not about leftover tsoureki, but it is about leftover mahlepi and mastiha – two of the special ingredients in tsoureki! We use them both to make tsoureki flavoured shortbread cookies; this is a great recipe that makes sure that any leftover of these special ingredients does not go to waste. Try them with your afternoon coffee and enjoy! You can find the recipe here.

Thanks for sharing!

2 Comments

  1. Dorothy's New Vintage Kitchen says:

    Great suggestions! Stale bread is a remarkable ingredient!

    1. miakouppa says:

      Thank you so much! Yes – it’s wonderful not to let any ingredient go to waste! xoxo Helen & Billie

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *